A plethora of details about Grand Theft Auto 6 and Rockstar Games’ workplace culture has appeared online thanks to a recent report by Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier. Key details taken from the report include GTA 6 featuring a playable female protagonist, a first for the series, as well as a fictional Miami setting (which many assume could be Vice City).
The Bloomberg article goes into some detail about the goals to improve Rockstar Games’ workplace culture, which came under fire and scrutiny following the crunch periods issued during the development of games like Red Dead Redemption 2. Rockstar aims to transform its work environment with schedule changes, converting contractors to full-time employees and removing managers and higher-ups which employees see as “abusive” or difficult to work with.
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Additionally, more producers are being added to help avoid overtime and crunch culture. Employees will have new mental health and leave benefits, allowing them to be more flexible with their time.
According to Schreier, the overhaul at Rockstar began in 2018, around the time of Red Dead Redemption 2‘s release. This, coupled with the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, caused a slower development time for GTA 6. Morale at the company has reportedly improved as these changes were made and is now higher than ever.
As for GTA 6, the report mentions a few details about the highly anticipated game, which is going under the codename “Project Americas”. It will apparently feature a playable female Latina protagonist who is part of a “Bonnie & Clyde” inspired duo of leading characters. The main location will be a fictional version of Miami with surrounding areas included. The map was originally pitched to cover more ground across both the North and South Americas, but was significantly scaled down as development went on.
Despite the map being scaled down, it’s stated that the game is already huge with even more interior locations than previous GTA games.
The game will also seemingly evolve over time with the inclusion of new cities. It’s not clear if this will be similar to the approach Ubisoft is taking with the Assassin’s Creed franchise that will see new installments arrive through an all-encompassing Assassin’s Creed Infinity, or if it will merely be updated to expand upon the base game in the future. This is likely motivated by GTA Online, which remains a big money-making machine for Rockstar and Take-Two.
Video game analysts expect GTA 6 to arrive sometime between 2023 and 2024, though nothing is set in stone right now at Rockstar Games.
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Source: Bloomberg
